Season 2009–10 saw
Greenock Morton
Greenock Morton Football Club is a Scottish professional football club, which plays in the Scottish Championship. The club was founded as Morton Football Club in 1874, making it one of the oldest senior Scottish clubs. Morton was renamed Greeno ...
compete in their third consecutive season in the
First Division, in which they finished 8th after a last day victory over
Ayr United which relegated the visitors.
Story of the season
May
After the end of the 2008–09 season,
Kieran McAnespie
Kieran Liam McAnespie (born 11 September 1979) is a football manager and former player. Capable of playing as a full-back or winger, he appeared in the Scottish Premier League for St Johnstone and Hearts. Born in England, he represented the S ...
(signed for amateur side Milngavie Wanderers),
Jamie Stevenson (signed for
East Stirlingshire
East Stirlingshire Football Club is a Scotland, Scottish association football club based in the town of Falkirk. The club was founded in 1881 and competes in the , in the fifth tier of the Scottish football league system. The club's origins ca ...
),
Chris Smith (signed for
Dumbarton) and
Jon Newby
Jonathan Philip Robert Newby (born 28 November 1978) is an English former footballer, who played as a striker, and manager.
Career
Known for his lightning pace, Newby began his career with Liverpool, and was involved in their FA Youth Cup win ...
(signed for
Northwich Victoria
{{Infobox UK place
, static_image_name = Northwich - Town Bridge.jpg
, static_image_caption = Town Bridge, the River Weaver and the spire of Holy Trinity Church
, official_name = Northwich
, country ...
) were all released.
Brian Graham returned from his loan spell at East Stirlingshire, where he finished as the
Third Division
In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below.
Association football
*Belgian Thir ...
's top scoring
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
.
June
Neil MacFarlane was brought in under freedom of contract from
Queen of the South.
July
Bryn Halliwell
Bryn Stephen Halliwell (born 1 October 1980) is an English former football goalkeeper who is currently a goalkeeping coach at Caledonian Braves.
Halliwell started his career in the youth team at London side Wimbledon, before moving in the ...
signed as emergency goalkeeping cover following injuries to
Kevin Cuthbert and
Colin Stewart.
August
At the end of Halliwell's short-term contract, he was released before the close of the transfer window thus making him available to sign for a new club at any time after the window shut.
Morton were knocked out of the two
SFL cup competitions by
Ross County and
Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock (, sco, Kilmaurnock; gd, Cill Mheàrnaig (IPA: ʰʲɪʎˈveaːɾnəkʲ, "Marnock's church") is a large town and former burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland and is the administrative centre of East Ayrshire, East Ayrshire Council. ...
, after victories over Dumbarton and
Cowdenbeath.
September
Davie Irons
David John Irons (born 18 July 1961 in Glasgow) is a Scottish former football player and coach.
Irons' playing career spanned 26 years as a central defender or midfielder for a host of clubs, most notably for Ayr United, Clydebank, Dunfermli ...
and
Derek Collins
Derek Collins (born 15 April 1969 in Glasgow) is a Scottish former professional footballer.
Collins started his playing career with Greenock Morton where he spent over a decade after making his debut in 1987. In 1997 Collins joined Hibernian a ...
had their contracts as the club's management team cancelled on 21 September, with the club sitting bottom of the First Division with only three points from their first six games.
Allan McManus
Allan William McManus (born 17 November 1974 in Paisley, Renfrewshire) is a Scottish former professional football player and coach. He played for Hearts, Livingston, Alloa Athletic, Ayr United, Airdrie United, St Johnstone, Greenock Morton, D ...
and
James Grady James Grady may refer to:
* James Grady (footballer) (born 1971), Scottish footballer
* James Grady (author)
James Grady (born April 30, 1949) is an American writer and investigative journalist known for his Thriller (genre), thriller novels on ...
took over as caretakers until replacements for Irons and Collins could be appointed.
Iain Russell
Iain Thomas Russell (born 14 November 1982) is a Former Scottish professional footballer who last played as a forward for Cowdenbeath, on loan from Pollok.
Russell came through the youth teams at Annan Athletic and Rangers before making a fe ...
was loaned out to
Alloa Athletic
Alloa Athletic Football Club is a Scottish association football semi-professional club based in the town of Alloa
Alloa (Received Pronunciation ; educated Scottish pronunciation /ˈaloʊa/; gd, Alamhagh, possibly meaning "rock plain") is a ...
.
October
McManus and Grady were appointed permanently (until the end of the season) on
Halloween
Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...
2009. This time though, Grady was made manager with McManus his assistant.
November
With injuries mounting up, Grady brought in
Alan Reid and
David van Zanten
David van Zanten (born 8 May 1982) is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a right-back.
Van Zanten was born in Ireland to a Dutch father and an Irish mother. Despite being born in Ireland, van Zanten has played his entire sen ...
in on trial. Both players made their débuts on 7 November, against
Partick Thistle
Partick Thistle Football Club are a professional association football, football club from Glasgow, Scotland. Despite their name, the club are based at Firhill Stadium in the Maryhill area of the city, and have not played in Partick since 1908. ...
, this was however Reid's THIRD début for the club having played two games on trial the previous season and having a spell on loan in 2001. On 10 November, it was revealed in the
Greenock Telegraph that van Zanten had signed on a permanent contract until January 2010.
Alan Reid was signed on a permanent basis on 27 November, following the release of
Ryan Harding
Ryan Harding (born 27 April 1984 in Edinburgh) is a Scottish semi-professional footballer who plays for Civil Service Strollers as a defender.
Over the course of his career he played for Livingston, Greenock Morton and East Stirlingshire be ...
by mutual consent.
December
After a replay, Morton defeated Dumbarton, to set up a
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,[Cappielow
Cappielow, also known as Cappielow Park supported by Dalrada Technology UK for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Greenock, Inverclyde, Scotland. It is the home ground of Scottish Professional Football League club Greenock Morton, w ...](_blank)
against
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
* Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Fo ...
.
January
David van Zanten's short-term deal at Cappielow expires, and the
Irishman signs for
Hamilton Academical.
Ex-Celtic youth
Michael Tidser returns from
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
, where he played for
Ostersunds FK to sign with Morton.
Alex Walker was loaned out to
Brechin City
Brechin City Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the townDespite the name of the football club, Brechin is not an official city. Brechin was historically known as a city because it has a cathedral. of Brechin in Angus. The club w ...
for three months.
Brian Wake was released, with his next destination being
Gateshead
Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Sage ...
.
As the transfer window slammed shut,
Kevin McKinlay was signed on a free transfer.
February
Erik Paartalu signed a pre-contract agreement with
Brisbane Roar back in his homeland of
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
.
Donovan Simmonds was signed until the end of the season on a free transfer from
Maltese Premier League side
Floriana
Floriana ( mt, Il-Furjana or ''Il-Floriana''), also known by its title Borgo Vilhena, is a fortified town in the South Eastern Region area of Malta, just outside the capital city Valletta. It has a population of 2,205 as of March 2014. Floriana i ...
.
March
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n
Striker
Striker or The Strikers may refer to:
People
*A participant in a strike action
*A participant in a hunger strike
*Blacksmith's striker, a type of blacksmith's assistant
*Striker's Independent Society, the oldest mystic krewe in America
People wi ...
David Witteveen
David Witteveen (born 5 May 1985 in Varese, Italy) is an Austrian footballer. He plays as a striker and is currently playing for SV Lackenbach.
Career
Witteveen had spells at Austrian sides Red Bull Salzburg and WAC St. Andrä. He played ...
signed on loan from
Hearts until the end of the season.
Iain Russell and
Ryan McWilliams were sent out on loan to
Stirling Albion
Stirling Albion Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the city of Stirling. The club was founded in 1945 following the demise of King's Park after World War II. The club currently competes in Scottish League Two as a member of the ...
and
Largs Thistle respectively.
April
Jim McAlister
James Duncan McAlister (born 2 November 1985 in Rothesay) is a retired Scottish footballer, who is most known for being club captain for Greenock Morton, making 361 appearances for the club.
Although predominantly right-footed, McAlister pla ...
broke his foot in a 3–3 draw with
Queen of the South – this was most likely his final game for Morton with his contract running down at the end of the season.
Michael Tidser was awarded the
Scottish Football League
The Scottish Football League (SFL) was a league featuring professional and semi-professional football clubs mostly from Scotland.One club, Berwick Rangers, is based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, which is located approximately 4 km south ...
young player of the month award for March.
May
With a 2–1 victory at
Cappielow
Cappielow, also known as Cappielow Park supported by Dalrada Technology UK for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Greenock, Inverclyde, Scotland. It is the home ground of Scottish Professional Football League club Greenock Morton, w ...
over
Ayr United, Morton avoided relegation to the
Second Division
In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
whilst condemning their opponents to automatic relegation.
First team transfers
*From end of 2008–09 season, to last match of season 2009–10
In
Out
Squad (that played for first team)
Fixtures and results
Friendlies
An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...
Irn-Bru Scottish Football League First Division
Active Nation Scottish Cup
League Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involves am ...
League table
Player statistics
All competitions
References
See also
{{DEFAULTSORT:2009-10 Greenock Morton F.C. Season
Greenock Morton
Greenock Morton Football Club is a Scottish professional football club, which plays in the Scottish Championship. The club was founded as Morton Football Club in 1874, making it one of the oldest senior Scottish clubs. Morton was renamed Greeno ...
Greenock Morton F.C. seasons